Geelong remains confident Joel Selwood will adapt to the AFL’s new ducking rule

JOEL Selwood has won 44 more free kicks for high contact than any other player since 2012. So how will the crackdown on ducking change his game?

Joel Selwood. Picture: Getty Images

GEELONG says contested ball hunter Joel Selwood will instantly adapt to the crackdown against the AFL’s maligned duckers and knee-droppers.

New umpires boss Peter Schwab has stressed the league’s commitment to campaign against the milking of high-contact free kicks.

Any player who drops his knees to initiate high contact or turns a legal tackle into high contact with a shrugging motion will not be rewarded with a free kick.

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Selwood has won 44 more free kicks for high contact than any other player since 2012 but is also a pure ball player.

Geelong head of football Steve Hocking said Selwood, who amassed 329 contested possessions last year while winning a league-high 28 high free kicks, would not miss a beat.

“Good luck. He is a Selwood. He will keep adapting to what the game has thrown at him, which is what he has always done,’’ he said.

Joel Selwood at Geelong training. Picture: Wayne Ludbey

“Nothing is coached down this neck of the woods, it’s how he plays. He is a contested ball player who will adapt. He is a very competitive man. He plays the ball.”

Last year Brisbane midfielder Rhys Mathieson won an astounding 23 high-tackle free kicks in 11 games — two a game.

Western Bulldogs premiership half-forward Toby McLean also turned winning free high kicks into an art form, awarded two in both the preliminary final and grand final.

Brisbane believes the rule will immediately eradicate the tendencies of Mathieson and Allen Christensen, both in the top five for free kicks from high tackles last year.

Selwood has consistently said he will play to the rules as judged by the AFL, unwilling to change his style until they did change.

‘`There is a little bit of an art to it. You can talk about the whole thing that I duck but I do it to the rules at the moment and I will continue to do it until they get changed,’’ he said in 2012.

“When I look at an opponent and if I feel I’m stronger than him, then I want him to come on to me and make the first step into me. He can make the first move, but I’ll make the second move.

“On the other hand if I am against a Chris Judd or someone who is probably stronger than me — [such as] Jobe Watson — I want to make sure that I make the first move so I have to make them get on the back foot a little bit and then try and wriggle out of there.”

Selwood is brimming with enthusiasm about the year ahead after enduring a seamless pre-season in contrast to last summer.

Last summer he battled plantar fasciitis and needed a VFL hitout as his only competitive warm-up before amassing a brilliant season alongside new midfield star Patrick Dangerfield.

Hocking said Tom Hawkins (knee surgery) was on track for some game time in the pre-season competition, with few major injury issues.

Rhys Mathieson gets tackled high. Picture: Colleen Petch.

Mid-sized defender Jackson Thurlow has not missed a beat in his return from an ACL rupture and could even play in the first JLT community series game.

He could slot into the position vacated by Geelong legend Corey Enright given his progress until last March’s injury setback.

“He is travelling really well and is on track to be part of the series,’’ Hocking said.

“He has been back into full training for quite a while and he has still got the medical team watching over him which is understandable.

“Our first game is in Tasmania on February 17 against Hawthorn so I would imagine he would be in the mix for that.”

TOP 10 HIGH TACKLES 2016

Ranking	Player	Club	Games	High Tackles
1	Joel Selwood	Geelong	24	28
2	Rhys Mathieson	Brisbane	11	23
3	Toby McLean	Western Bulldogs	15	22
4	Anthony Miles	Richmond	19	22
5	Allen Christensen	Brisbane	11	20
6	George Hewett	Sydney	24	18
7	Lachie Hunter	Western Bulldogs	28	18
8	Luke Shuey	West Coast	23	16
9	James Sicily	Essendon	22	16
10	Mitch Duncan	Geelong	24	12

TOP 10 HIGH TACKLES 2012-2016

Ranking	Player	Club	Games	High Tackles
1	Joel Selwood	Geelong	114	129
2	Allen Christensen	Lions/Cats	79	85
3	Anthony Miles	Richmond	65	78
4	Luke Shuey	West Coast	103	58
5	Paul Puopolo	Hawthorn	113	56
6	Trent Cotchin	Richmond	109	49
7	Toby Greene	GWS	98	46
8	Lindsay Thomas	North Melbourne	105	43
9	Marc Murphy	Carlton	88	41
10	Jack Ziebell	North Melbourne	102	41

HIGH TACKLES 2016

Ranking	Club	Games	High Tackles
1	Western Bulldogs	26	108
2	Brisbane Lions	22	90
3	Geelong	24	83
4	Hawthorn	24	80
5	Sydney	26	76
6	Richmond	22	76
7	GWS	24	70
8	North Melbourne	23	62
9	Adelaide	24	56
10	Port Adelaide	22	55
11	Essendon	22	55
12	West Coast	23	54
13	Fremantle	22	54
14	Carlton	22	53
15	Collingwood	22	50
16	Melbourne	22	49
17	St Kilda	22	45
18	Gold Coast	22	40